If you happen to live in Iran, your Pokemon Hunting has inexplicably come to a complete halt.
While many governing authorities have expressed caution or even irritation at the addictive Pokemon GO, Iran is the first country to actually ban the game (via BBC). Iran cites “security concerns” as the basis for their decision, one that was made by the High Council of Virtual Spaces, a council that was created back in 2012 by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
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It would’ve likely been banned sooner, but according to earlier reports, Iranian authorities were waiting to see if Niantic would work with them on their concerns. Evidently that did not happen, and it doesn’t help that Iran already has restrictions on internet usage, something that Pokemon GO uses a great deal of.
The council has still not issued a statement on the perceived “security concerns” that caused the ban, but if and when it does get released, it will most likely be just as vague as the high council’s initial decree, which is “establishing a centre of national virtual space to define policy and co-ordinate and make decisions regarding virtual space”
The decree also included what the high council is supposed to actually do, and that is to prevent “harm” that results from “the increasing spread of information and communication technologies, particularly that of the global internet network and its important role in personal and social life”
So, if you are planning to visit Iran anytime soon, you should definitely leave your Pokemon at home.
